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West St. Paul voters will take to the polls on August 11 (or earlier) to decide who will compete to be mayor in the November general election. There are three candidates contesting the mayoral primary in 2020, and the top two will advance to November.
We’ve asked the candidates a series of questions to see where they stand on the issues. We’ll share one question and the responses at a time leading up to the election. We’ve already covered the biggest challenge facing West St. Paul, what the candidates hope to accomplish in their two years in office, and how they’ll handle packed and highly charged City Council meetings. Here’s the fourth candidate question.
How will you support more trails and sidewalks in West St. Paul—including the River-to-River Greenway Trail?
We posed this question to all mayoral candidates (Jeramie Torkelson has dropped out, though his name will still appear on the ballot). Here are their responses:
Jonathan Diamond
(no campaign site)
As an avid biker, I strongly support trails and will do what it takes to get them.
Kimetha “KaeJae” Johnson
I will continue to support the plans already in place for the River-to-River Greenway trail and the Pedestrian and Sidewalk Master Plan, I will work with local partners and the community to identify where the greatest need for accessibility are and good north-south routes for sidewalks and trails.
Dave Napier
I have always been an advocate for creating a more walkable community. We must continue to accomplish the objectives laid out in our comprehensive pedestrian plan. I am committed to working with the County to complete the missing links on the River-to-River Trail as it winds through the City of West St. Paul. Specifically, additional sidewalks and bike paths need to be placed through Marthaler Park, across Robert Street and through the Thompson Oaks property. This will provide our residents and visitors from outside our city the opportunity to experience West St. Paul in a more scenic way. We will continue to work with Dakota County to see this project through to completion.
Vote on August 11
The primary election is on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020. The West St. Paul city website has details on where and how to vote. You can also vote early with an absentee ballot, either by mail or by stopping at the Dakota County offices.
See our 2020 election coverage for more on where the candidates stand.
Thank you to the candidates for taking the time to respond to my questions.
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